Metal Slug 3 Longplay (Neo Geo) [QHD]

Game Info
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Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
Year of Release: 2000
Game Review & Impressions
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Set an number of years following the antics of Metal Slug 2, series antagonist General Morden tries, once again, to overthrow world governments with another display of military might. Having allied himself with a force of extra-terrestrial invaders, Modern hopes their combined forces will deliver the knock-out blow to world order he has so desperately longed for.
Unfortunately, the aliens have other ideas, betraying Morden, taking the despotic General hostage and leaving his forces in disarray. With humankind's existence on the line once again, Marco and Tarma of the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force, assisted by Eri and Fio of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. special intelligence force, engage in a series of frantic run-and-gun battles with mutant crabs, bile-spewing zombies, not to mention ray-gun toting jellyfish xenomorphs, in a bid to save Earth from certain destruction.
Given the mainstream adoption and relative maturity of 3D by 2000, the Neo Geo, a console already a decade old by this point, somehow managed to extend its life, carving out a niche by specialising in what it does best. That niche is some of the best 2D sprite-based pixel art to ever grace our monitors; Metal Slug 3 looks absolutely incredible.
In terms of new features, Metal Slug regulars Marco and Tarma are joined by series newcomers Eri Kasamoto and Fiolina "Fio" Germi, boosting the total number of playable characters to four. New mechanised "Slug" vehicles are added to the mix, and branching paths are added for the first time, providing players with different routes through each of the game's levels.
The gameplay mechanics, however, remain unchanged. Every level consists of blowing up legions of enemies with increasingly ludicrous weapons, rescuing hostages, and dealing with some of the most ludicrous end-of-level bosses ever conceived for a video game. It's pure, unadulterated Metal Slug which, by itself, is no bad thing.
However, I think it's fair to say that, in the quest to give the game a sense of identity, Metal Slug 3 is a less cohesive experience overall. The series was always somewhat off-the-wall, but the inclusion of zombies, mutant crabs, not to mention the weird ice cave full of yetis and war mammoth, all feel out of place. The sense of fighting against an alien menace is absent right up until mission 4, thus feeling like yet more daubs and random brush strokes that fail to coalesce into any meaningful image on an already-saturated and gaudy canvas. The second-to-second play is great fun, but the sheer amount of random stuff in this game does it no favours, at least in my opinion.
In conclusion, Metal Slug 3 is an exceptionally stunning game and definitely worth playing, but the late arrival of the aliens as an actual threat result in a game with an incongruous narrative that feels slightly jarring. It's a fun game, just one that, in my opinion, could have been better.
Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
01:57 Mission 1
07:01 Mission 2
16:22 Mission 3
23:55 Mission 4
32:53 Mission 5
1:04:34 Ending
#metalslug3 #neogeo #retrogaming

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Considered the best in the Metal Slug series. Metal Slug 3 is a fantastic title that has plenty to offer. It also proved that even though the Neo-Geo was 10 years old and well past it's prime in regards to technology, it continued to offer quality titles for the gamer to enjoy. Sadly around this time of the original SNK, the company was in so much financial turmoil that they were barely staying float. One year later in 2001, the original SNK filed for bankruptcy.

[@drkamilz]

Awesome gameplay with probably all secrets included.

[@AL82RetrogamingLongplays]

I think I got most of them :)

[@Baximus]

One of my favorite things about Metal Slug 3 is the fact the final stage is nearly half of the game.

[@teddychu1177]

Including Shmup section!

[@OneGun454]

Omg I had never seen a prisoner launch fireballs ala Ryu or Ken. Nice!

[@thomasdresler949]

Métal Slug...one of the Best saga of arcade games!

[@Kyntteri]

The submarine seems to borrow its color scheme from 'In The Hunt' but at the same from Thunderbirds as its submersible was also yellow and had number 4 on the side of it.

[@LeShark75]

My favorite Slug game, hands down.

[@MrCydoo]

the NEO-GEO is really the queen of all 2D game machine and metal slug 3 are near to perfet game : very good graphics, humor, animation, gameplay ! A legendary series of game's !

[@pixelgoat7317]

RAWCKET LAWNCHAIR!

[@OneGun454]

You're great!

[@szfele2265]

Crazy good pixel art.

[@ostal1]

nice

[@ItsBigIan]

Still waiting for Al's 100% no death run of Cuphead

[@wandererslegion]

You have done a superb longplay here. Mind if I
insert your highscore in a Gaming Leaderboards discord I created with some friends?
I can add this youtube video as a reference too

[@turrican3839]

For once I see a vaguely negative overview of Metal Slug 3 haha